


Santa’s Little Helper

by cordeliadelayne



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Gen, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-22 21:49:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8302466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/pseuds/cordeliadelayne
Summary: Christmas is coming, which means spreading goodwill, even when you don’t want to.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [spirited_lizard](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=spirited_lizard).



> Written for spirited_lizard who gave the prompt “Secret Santa”.
> 
> Originally posted to Livejournal in 2009.

Ruby stretched out on the couch, kicking her boots off onto the floor and resting her hands on her stomach. Dean and Sam were wrangling the Christmas tree into position while Castiel watched from the kitchen, a curious expression on his face. Ruby tried not to let her heckles rise – Castiel hadn’t threatened to smite her in at least two days and Dean had at least managed to get through breakfast before cursing her name, so all in all it was a good week.

“Don’t help, will you?” Dean muttered. Castiel moved forward a little. “I wasn’t talking to you.” Dean snapped at him and, a hurt frown on his face, the angel retreated even further back into the kitchen.

“Dean!” Sam hissed.

“Sorry, Cas. I’m…” He shrugged, answer enough for the moment and then stood back with a satisfied smile as the tree slotted neatly into the corner of the room.

“Bobby’s going to love it,” Sam said.

Dean nodded. “He better, after that.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “We still need to decorate it.” He walked over to the kitchen table and began sorting through the decorations they’d pulled from Bobby’s attic that morning. Most of them seemed like they were in pretty good condition, though all of them were covered in a thick layer of dust.

Dean snorted. “You and your girlfriend can do that, while I show Cas how to make s’mores.”

“S’mores?” Castiel asked.

“Girlfriend?” Ruby asked, eyebrows arched.

Sam stayed silent, pulling out the tree lights and plugging them in, testing which ones worked. Ruby glared at him, then at Dean.

“Well I guess that makes Cas your boyfriend then, doesn’t it?”

Castiel grabbed Dean’s arm and pulled him towards the groceries before he did anything violent.

“Ruby,” Sam sighed.

She didn’t feel guilty about disrupting the Christmas cheer. Absolutely not.

But she did get up and start unpacking the baubles, and dusting them off.

#####

“You know what would be fun?” Ruby asked. Three suspicious pairs of eyes turned towards her. “Secret Santa.”

Dean rolled his eyes and took another bite out of his burger. Sam, slightly less sceptically, frowned, while Castiel looked confused. Ruby had to admit, it kinda looked good on him.

“No friggin’ way,” Dean said.

Sam and Ruby both turned their puppy eyes on him.

“No.”

And again.

“No – Jesus, fine.”

Ruby and Sam shared a smile while Castiel continued to look confused.

“What is “Secret Santa”?” Castiel asked.

“It’s the greatest thing ever –“ “The most annoying thing in the –“ Ruby and Dean both started to say, then stopped, then glared at each other. Sam stepped in before blood was shed.

“You pick names from a hat and then have to get a present for the person you drew,” Sam explained. “Then you put the presents under the tree ready for Christmas, without letting anyone know which one is from you.”

“I see,” Castiel said. “It is a pagan tradition?”

“Uh, probably?” Sam asked, hedging his bets.

“Whatever, dude,” Dean said. “$10 limit. No sex toys.” This last was aimed at Ruby who just shrugged in what she imagined was a totally innocent kind of way.

#####

Castiel had given his present some very serious thought. As he also had to Dean’s limit. However, the present he had picked out for Sam was priceless and he decided that there would be enough goodwill at Christmas for this not to matter.

At least he hoped so.

The book was very rare – a list of extremely powerful incantations, detailed maps of ancient towns and a vast assortment of arcane knowledge that he was sure Sam would appreciate. It had been easier for Castiel to think of what to obtain for him than he had thought. He was certainly glad that he had not drawn Ruby’s name out of the “hat” (in fact the pocket of one of Bobby’s jackets). Ally or no, she was still a demon. And he didn’t think it would have been seemly for him to give her anything in Christ’s name.

#####

Dean wasn’t going to spend a lot of time getting his recipient anything, but then he’d pulled Castiel’s name out of the makeshift hat and well, this was Castiel’s first Christmas. Okay, it was probably his two thousandth plus Christmas, but it was the first one he was to get to celebrate Winchester style. No, scratch that, Winchester family Christmases never ended well, so perhaps this was just going to be a very ordinary, very normal Christmas.

It was right about then that Dean decided that actually, he was thinking about this too much.

When he had a moment though, he slipped away from Sam into the diner nearest Bobby’s house, which just so happened to have the best pie ever. And, after a flash of a smile Dean had scored a year’s free sampling of pie for the angel.

Ignoring Sam’s raised eyebrows he carefully pocketed the rather prettily written voucher and got back into the Impala.

#####

Even though it had been her idea, Ruby was already regretting opening her mouth when she pulled Dean’s name out. And even though she’d promised, she was seriously considering all the fun sex toy pranks she could pull.

But Sam had taken her aside and asked her, very seriously and very earnestly, with double strength puppy eyes, not to ruin Christmas.

So what else could she do but get something worthwhile? And so after much digging and a few deals – and was promising not to hex someone out of existence worth more or less than $10? – she managed to get hold of a beautiful knife that was rumoured to be able to kill angels. Not that she had any idea if it was true, but hopefully it would score her a few Brownie points with Dean.

And get her inside Sam’s pants.

#####

Sam had tried not to make it at all obvious, but he’d really liked Ruby’s suggestion. He and Dean had never really stuck around anywhere to get in on the Secret Santa game, and their presents to each other were never much to talk about, a few notable exceptions aside.

Though when he pulled out Ruby’s name he wasn’t sure whether he should be pleased or not. She was helping them and he was grateful, Dean’s constant cracks about him being her boyfriend aside. But he didn’t want her to think he was too grateful.

When he was flicking through some of Bobby’s books though he hit upon an idea. And it may have taken a little time to organise but finally he had the perfect present. A silver pendant that would keep her out of the sight of angels. He held it up to the light one final time and then put it back in its box.

He really hoped she liked it and at least it was practical _and_ beautiful, attributes he knew Ruby would appreciate.

#####

All four of them agreed that they would put their presents under the tree on Christmas Eve, and not before. And that none of them were allowed to sneak a peek or use any kind of magic to find out what was inside.

Those were rules that were meant for Ruby and Castiel, who both showed an alarming ability for rolling their eyes in synch, which caused Dean to pull Castiel out of the room, muttering about him spending too much time with harlots. Ruby had taken that as a compliment.

And when Christmas Day rolled around they opened their gifts, marvelling how well their Santa had provided for them, and happier than they knew how to say, that they were spending Christmas together.


End file.
